50,000 ‘fake’ families of martyrs and disabled detected

MAZAR-I-SHARIF (Pajhwok): At least 50,000 ‘fake’ families of martyrs and disabled persons had been receiving monthly stipends, the minister said on Saturday.

This was stated by Minister of Labour, Social Affairs, Martyrs and Disabled, Nasrin Oryakhel, at the inauguration ceremony of a vocational training centre in Mazar-i-Sharif city, the capital of northern Balkh province.

Oryakhel said she had taken serious steps at ending corruption in her ministry but the roots of corruption remained.

She told Pajhwok Afghan News on the sidelines of the ceremony that she had made efforts at bringing transparency to her ministry’s affairs and had started paying stipends through bank and in the process they had found 50,000 bogus families of martyrs and disabled.

The lack of a transparent system and long serving unskilled officials were the two main reasons behind corruption in the ministry, said Oryakhel.

She said 46 vocational training centres would be established nationwide and today’s inauguration marked the project launch from Mazar-i-Sharif.

Her ministry had discussed and considered a national employment policy and would soon announce its strategy in this regard, she revealed.